Helmet apparatus

ABSTRACT

A helmet or headgear apparatus particularly useful to mixed martial arts (MMA), hand to hand combat training and boxing is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention offers improved features providing greater protection than previous solutions such as material covering the top and back of a user&#39;s head. A faceguard design is additionally provided. Further, adjustments in design provide for improved comfort to a user as well as a solution that will last longer and fit more varied sizes of heads. Different amounts of layered shock absorbent padding are further provided as desired for the particular training situation.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This patent application claims benefit of the priority date of U.S.Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No. 61/433,841 filed on Jan. 18, 2011, entitledBOXING AND MIXED MARITIAL ART TYPE EQUIPMENT; further this patentapplication claims benefit of the priority date of U.S. Prov. Pat. App.Ser. No. 61/473,378 filed on Apr. 8, 2011, entitled MARTIAL ARTSEQUIPMENT, and further this patent application claims benefit of thepriority date of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No. 61/526,999 filed on Aug.24, 2011, entitled TRAINING EQUIPMENT, accordingly, the entire contentsof these patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains generally to sports equipment. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to training in the areas ofmixed martial arts (MMA), hand to hand combat and boxing. In a preferredembodiment, the present invention is more particularly useful as helmetapparatus for protecting participants during fighting and trainingexercises.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Currently, a growing number of sports and work out enthusiast areparticipating in fighting sports such as mixed martial arts (MMA) andtraditional boxing. Also, tactical professionals such as lawenforcement, soldiers and marines are doing more heavy hand to handcombat exercises sometimes involving blunt force weapons and thereforeneed the highest quality gear. It is with that notion in mind that thepresent invention was conceived.

Accordingly, a comparable example is proposed by Tsujimoto entitled“Headgear,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,739,752 and was granted patent protection in2010. Initially, the Tsujimoto example fails to protect a top of auser's head as typical to boxing sparring helmets. Additionally, theback of a user's head remains unprotected while providing a design thatcan be easily donned and removed. Also, the faceguard is somewhatsuspect protection wise while simultaneously providing adequate field ofview.

In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention toprovide training headgear with an improved design protecting more areasof a user's head with improved materials as detailed herein. It is anadditional object of the present invention to provide a helmet apparatusthat has features and characteristics for improved wear and longevity.Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide ahelmet design that can withstand higher blunt force impact which stillproviding comfort to a user. Yet further it is another object of thepresent invention to address versatility according to different desiresand purposes of a user.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the abovementioned deficiencies associated with the prior art. More particularly,the present invention in a first aspect, is a helmet apparatus,particularly for fighting and combat training purposes, comprising: apadded substantially circumferential member generally protecting auser's face, forehead, and sides of the user's head, wherein thecircumferential member leaves a back of user's head unprotected. A topmember is included joined to the circumferential member protecting a topof a user's head, wherein the top member includes a padded flappiviotably at an end thereof, the padded flap for protecting a back of auser's head; a first top shock absorbing padded layer covering nearlyall of the top of the user's head; and a second top shock absorbingpadded layer over the first shock absorbing layer substantially coveringthe top of the user's head but covering less than the first paddedlayer.

The helmet is additionally characterized as further comprising: a firstaperture in the first top padded layer; a second aperture in the firsttop padded layer; a third aperture in the second top padded layer; and afourth aperture in the second top padded layer. The first, second,third, and fourth apertures together provide for ventilation and heattransfer from the top of the user's head wherein the first and secondapertures are smaller in size than the third and fourth apertures.

The helmet particularly for fighting and combat training purposes isadditionally characterized as comprising: a first strip of Velcro aboutright temple area on the circumferential member; a second strip ofVelcro about a left temple area on the circumferential member; a thirdstrip of Velcro about a chin area on the circumferential member; afourth strip of Velcro about a forehead area on the circumferentialmember, the fourth strip of Velcro having a break therein to allow for amanufacturer logo to be joined to the forehead area. Also a faceguard isincluded releasably coupled to the circumferential member the faceguardhaving a grill section and a frame section both comprising steel bars,wherein the frame section has a bottom most horizontal bar having athickness greater than the grill section steel bars for improvedlongevity and wear characteristics to the faceguard.

The helmet herein is still further characterized wherein thecircumferential member further comprises a first and a secondoverlapping flaps rotating about a vertical axis and joining the topmember padded flap via corresponding Velcro; and a padded ear hole forprotecting a user's ear, the padded ear hole having a metal platecoupled at a center portion thereto, the metal plate having anadditional plurality of holes to allow a passing of sound.

In yet another aspect the present invention is a helmet comprising: apadded substantially circumferential member generally protecting auser's face, forehead, chin, cheek bones, and sides of the user's head,the circumferential member comprising a first and a second overlappingflaps at a rear thereof for donning and removal of the helmet; and a topmember flexibly coupled to the circumferential member via a plurality offlexible bands the flexible bands providing an optimum flex fit therebyfurther providing increased comfort to a user while also accommodatingmore different head sizes, the top member providing protection to a topof a user's head.

The helmet is also described as having a padded flap pivotally at an endthereof, the padded flap for protecting a back of a user's head, whereinthe paddled flap comprises Velcro material, wherein the firstoverlapping flap comprises Velcro material on a front side and on abackside thereof, and wherein the second overlapping flap comprisesVelcro material on a back side thereof and comprises a manufacturinglogo on a front side there, the padded flap, first and secondoverlapping flaps together allowing for a donning of the helmet.

The helmet in this aspect is also described wherein the circumferentialmember additionally comprises a chin portion generally protecting afront of a user's chin, the helmet additionally having a bottom memberjoined to the chin portion, the chin portion being generally thicker andhaving more dense padding as compared to the bottom member, and furtherthe bottom member having softer material as compared to the chin portionfor optimum comfort and protection.

Also specifically with regard to materials contemplated the helmet hasan outer skin comprising advanced, man-made leather composed of anon-woven fabric having ultra-fine fibers, approximately measuring 0.05micron in diameter, the ultra-fine fibers combined to form fiberbundles, the bundles further impregnated with polyurethane to improveflexibility and conformability; and it also has an inner cushioningmaterial including a polymer composite containing a chemicallyengineered dilatant assisting in energy absorbing properties.

These, as well as other advantages of the present invention will be moreapparent from the following description and drawings. It is understoodthat changes in the specific structure shown and described may be madewithin the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake ofgrammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expresslyunderstood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by theconstruction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accordedthe full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition providedby the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in thecase where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are tobe accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The inventioncan be better visualized by turning now to the following drawingswherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself,both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood fromthe accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdescription, in which similar reference characters refer to similarparts, and in which:

FIG. 1A is a front quarter perspective illustration of a first preferredhelmet or headgear apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is an upper front perspective view thereof;

FIG. 1C is a front perspective view showing visor removed showingarrangement fo hook and loop fasteners of the first preferredembodiment;

FIG. 1D is front plan view particular showing and outline of a cagevisor of the embodiment;

FIG. 2A illustrates a front plan view of a second preferred embodimentof the present invention however similar to the first preferredembodiment;

FIG. 2B illustrates an elevated side perspective view thereof;

FIG. 2C is a rear view of the second preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2D is an underneath view of the second preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3A illustrates a front plan view of a second preferred embodimentof the present invention however similar to the first and the secondpreferred embodiments;

FIG. 3B illustrates a top view thereof; and

FIG. 3C is a side elevated perspective view of the second preferredembodiment;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.Initially with regard to FIG. 1A, a helmet apparatus 10 a particularlyuseful for fighting and hand to hand combat training purposes has apadded, substantially circumferential member 11 generally protecting auser's face, forehead, and sides of the user's head. However asexplained herein, the circumferential member 11 leaves a back of user'shead unprotected (as best seen in FIG. 2C).

With further reference to FIG. 1B, a top member 20 is joined to thecircumferential member 11 protecting a top of a user's head. The topmember 20, in this embodiment 10 a, is composed of multiple paddedlayers 21, 22 wherein a first top shock absorbing padded layer 21 coversnearly all of the top of the user's head, and a second top shockabsorbing padded layer 22 over the first shock absorbing layer 21substantially covers the top of the user's head but covers less than thefirst padded layer 21. Holes or apertures 23, 24 are provided for properventilation and also offer a convenient way to carry the apparatus 10 awhile not being worn. Note that aperture 23 in first padded layer 21 issmaller in size than corresponding aperture 24 in the second paddedlayer 22.

With reference to FIG. 1C, the helmet 10 a herein is also designed witha detachable faceguard 18, 19 comprising a reinforced steel cage furtherincluding a grill section 18 and a frame section 19. Importantly, theframe section 19 is thicker and has a bottom most horizontal bar havinga thickness greater than the grill section 18 steel bars for improvedlongevity and wear characteristics to the faceguard when the helmet 10 ais placed on a hard surface. In the preferred embodiment, Velcro, orhook and loop fasteners 12, 13, 14, 15 are provided to thecircumferential member 11 and are actually sewn around the faceguardsteel frame 19 with durable nylon material. More specifically, thecircumferential member has a first strip of Velcro 12 about right templearea, a second strip of Velcro 13 about a left temple area, a thirdstrip of Velcro 14 about a chin area, and a fourth strip of Velcro 15about a forehead area. The fourth strip 15 is unique however as shown inFIG. 1B (but not in FIG. 1A) in that is has a break therein to allow fora manufacturer logo 16 to be joined to the forehead area ofcircumferential member 11. Also, the corresponding Velcro and nylon sewnaround the cage frame 19 has a break therein to allow for themanufacture logo 16.

Also according to this embodiment 10 a, a padded ear hole 31 forprotecting a user's ear is provided having a metal plate 32 coupled at acenter portion thereto. As shown, the metal plate has a plurality ofholes 32 to allow a passing of sound. An alternative embodiment providesthat rigid plastic could be substituted for the metal plate 32. FIG. 1Dis provided particularly to show and outline of a cage visor 18, 19 inthe front aspect.

FIG. 2A illustrates an additional embodiment 10 b without a cage visor18, 19 and without a second layer 22 of padding on the top portion 20.With reference to FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D, top member 20 has a padded flap25 piviotably at an end thereof for protecting a back of a user's head.The padded flap 25 has Velcro to join with a first 34 and a second 35overlapping flaps rotating about a substantially vertical axis (i.e.they open like a door). More specifically, first overlapping flap 34 hasVelcro on both sides and second padded flap 35 has Velcro on one sidefor all three flaps providing a snug fit to a user (flap 34 on top offlap 25 with flap 35 on top of flap 34). Flap 35 further comprises amanufacturing logo on the side opposite the Velcro (not shown). Theseflaps 25, 34, 35 further help to fix the helmet 10 a, 10 b, 10 c inplace on the user's head, and also make the helmet's size 10 a, 10 b, 10c more adjustable to fit comfortably and securely on heads of differentsizes.

Also as best seen with regard to FIG. 2B, top member 20 is elasticallyjoined to the circumferential member 11 via a plurality of flexiblebands 41. The flexible bands 41 also have a small gap 42 therebetween toadditionally aid in flexibility. Further, the flexible bands 41 providean optimum flex fit thereby giving increased comfort to a user whilealso accommodating more different head sizes.

Further with regard to FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D, the circumferential member11 additionally has a chin portion protecting a front of a user's chin.This chin portion generally has thick shock absorbing padding.Importantly, a bottom member 17 is joined to the chin portion havingsofter material as compared to the chin portion for optimum chinprotection and comfort. Various embodiments herein 10 a, 10 b, and 10 cand be described as having an outer skin 11, 20 comprising advanced,man-made leather composed of a non-woven fabric having ultra-finefibers, approximately measuring 0.05 micron in diameter, the ultra-finefibers combined to form fiber bundles, the bundles further impregnatedwith polyurethane to improve flexibility and conformability. The outerskin 11, 20 will generally cover an inner cushioning material includinga polymer composite containing a chemically engineered dilatantassisting in energy absorbing properties. Further, materials 11, 20 arecontemplated to have an antimicrobial feature. More specifically, thetextile or surface layer may be treated with an antimicrobial agent toreduce odor-causing and/or pathogenic microorganisms. Examples of suchantimicrobial agents include: silane functionalized quaternary aminessuch as Microbe Shield™ available from AEGIS Environments; colloidalsilver solutions such as Silpure™ available from Thompson ResearchAssociates, Canada, silver chelated polymer solutions such as SilvaDur™available from Rohm & Haas; biguanides such as polyhexamethylenebiguanide sold under the trade names Vantocil™ and Cosmocil™ availablefrom Arch Chemicals; and a formulation sold under the name of GermPro™available from GermPatrol LLC, Largo, Fla.

An additional heavily padded variation 11 c is provided in FIG. 3A, FIG.3B and FIG. 3C. The elliptical shape of the face opening 39 allows forthick, multilayer padding to protect the sides and front of the user'shead. Still further, the face is given additional protection by a steelframe built into said padding 11. Herein, the whole interior is linedwith a layer of soft foam with high quality bonded to foam for maximumcomfort. As before, two layers 21, 22 protect a top of a user's head.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

1. A helmet particularly for fighting and combat training purposescomprising: a padded substantially circumferential member generallyprotecting a user's face, forehead, and sides of the user's head,wherein the circumferential member leaves a back of user's headunprotected; and a top member joined to the circumferential memberprotecting a top of a user's head, the top member further including: apadded flap piviotably at an end thereof, the padded flap for protectinga back of a user's head; a first top shock absorbing padded layercovering nearly all of the top of the user's head; and a second topshock absorbing padded layer over the first shock absorbing layersubstantially covering the top of the user's head but covering less thanthe first padded layer.
 2. The helmet particularly for fighting andcombat training purposes of claim 1 further comprising: a first aperturein the first top padded layer; a second aperture in the first top paddedlayer; a third aperture in the second top padded layer; and a fourthaperture in the second top padded layer, the first, second, third, andfourth apertures together providing ventilation and heat transfer fromthe top of the user's head wherein the first and second apertures aresmaller in size than the third and fourth apertures.
 3. The helmetparticularly for fighting and combat training purposes of claim 1further comprising: a first strip of Velcro about right temple area onthe circumferential member; a second strip of Velcro about a left templearea on the circumferential member; a third strip of Velcro about a chinarea on the circumferential member; a fourth strip of Velcro about aforehead area on the circumferential member, the fourth strip of Velcrohaving a break therein to allow for a manufacturer logo to be joined tothe forehead area; and a faceguard releasably coupled to thecircumferential member the faceguard having a grill section and a framesection both comprising steel bars, wherein the frame section has abottom most horizontal bar having a thickness greater than the grillsection steel bars for improved longevity and wear characteristics tothe faceguard.
 4. The helmet particularly for fighting and combattraining purposes of claim 1, the circumferential member furthercomprising: a first and a second overlapping flaps rotating about avertical axis and joining the top member padded flap via correspondingVelcro; and a padded ear hole for protecting a user's ear, the paddedear hole having a metal plate coupled at a center portion thereto, themetal plate having an additional plurality of holes to allow a passingof sound.
 5. A helmet comprising: a padded substantially circumferentialmember generally protecting a user's face, forehead, chin, cheek bones,and sides of the user's head, the circumferential member comprising afirst and a second overlapping flaps at a rear thereof for donning andremoval of the helmet; and a top member flexibly coupled to thecircumferential member via a plurality of flexible bands the flexiblebands providing an optimum flex fit thereby further providing increasedcomfort to a user while also accommodating more different head sizes,the top member providing protection to a top of a user's head.
 6. Thehelmet of claim 5, the top member further comprising a padded flappiviotably at an end thereof, the padded flap for protecting a back of auser's head, wherein the paddled flap comprises Velcro material, whereinthe first overlapping flap comprises Velcro material on a front side andon a backside thereof, and wherein the second overlapping flap comprisesVelcro material on a back side thereof and comprises a manufacturinglogo on a front side there, the padded flap, first and secondoverlapping flaps together allowing for a donning of the helmet.
 7. Thehelmet of claim 5, the circumferential member additionally comprising achin portion generally protecting a front of a user's chin, the helmetadditionally comprising a bottom member joined to the chin portion, thechin portion being generally thicker and having more dense padding ascompared to the bottom member, and further the bottom member havingsofter material as compared to the chin portion.
 8. The helmet of claim5, further comprising: an outer skin comprising advanced, man-madeleather composed of a non-woven fabric having ultra-fine fibers,approximately measuring 0.05 micron in diameter, the ultra-fine fiberscombined to form fiber bundles, the bundles further impregnated withpolyurethane to improve flexibility and conformability; and an innercushioning material including a polymer composite containing achemically engineered dilatant assisting in energy absorbing properties.9. A helmet particularly for fighting and combat training purposescomprising: a padded substantially circumferential member generallyprotecting a user's face, forehead, and sides of the user's head; afirst strip of Velcro about right temple area on the circumferentialmember; a second strip of Velcro about a left temple area on thecircumferential member; a third strip of Velcro about a chin area on thecircumferential member; a fourth strip of Velcro about a forehead areaon the circumferential member, the fourth strip; and a transparent visorreleasably coupled to the circumferential member.
 10. The helmetparticularly for fighting and combat training purposes of claim 1further comprising: a top member joined to the circumferential memberprotecting a top of a user's head, wherein the circumferential memberleaves a back of user's head unprotected, the top member furtherincluding: a padded flap piviotably at an end thereof, the padded flapfor protecting a back of a user's head; a first top shock absorbingpadded layer covering nearly all of the top of the user's head; and asecond top shock absorbing padded layer over the first shock absorbinglayer substantially covering the top of the user's head but coveringless than the first padded layer.
 11. The helmet particularly forfighting and combat training purposes of claim 1, the circumferentialmember further comprising: a first and a second overlapping flapsrotating about a vertical axis and joining the top member padded flapvia corresponding Velcro; and a padded ear hole for protecting a user'sear, the padded ear hole having a metal plate coupled at a centerportion thereto, the metal plate having an additional plurality of holesto allow a passing of sound.